StartupTN CEO Sivarajah Ramanathan resigns

Sivarajah Ramanathan has resigned as Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (StartupTN). According to a source at StartupTN, his relieving order was issued on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

L. Nirmalraj, Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries and Commerce shall hold full additional charge of the post until further orders.

When contacted, Mr. Ramanathan confirmed that he had resigned from the post but did not disclose the reasons for his decision. People in the startup ecosystem familiar with the development said the resignation could be linked to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government’s review of initiatives launched under the previous DMK administration.

StartupTN was established under the MSME Department to nurture startups in Tamil Nadu through funding support, mentoring programmes and ecosystem building initiatives. The foundation for StartupTN was laid during the AIADMK government’s tenure.

After assuming office, the DMK government expanded its mandate by introducing several new initiatives, including an SC/ST Startup Fund. And this was the country’s first State government-backed equity fund dedicated to entrepreneurs from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities.

During Mr. Ramanathan’s tenure, the number of DPIIT-recognised startups in Tamil Nadu grew from 2,032 in 2021 to more than 14,700 as on date, marking an over six-fold increase. Nearly half of these ventures are women-led. Through its metro hub in Chennai and regional hubs in Coimbatore, Madurai, Erode, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Salem, Thanjavur, Villupuram, Thoothukudi, and Hosur, StartupTN expanded entrepreneurial opportunities beyond metropolitan centres and enabled startup ecosystem development across all regions of Tamil Nadu including rural pockets.